5 Ways To Do What You Love

The ultimate myth in America is that you can do what you love and get paid for it.

For most people, this myth is destructive. Instead of seeing the world for how it is and seeking balance between our personal and professional lives, we struggle to find “profersonal” happiness in a world that will never be.

Except for me. Sorta. I love being a writer. I blend aspects of my personal and private life together. And I am one of the few writers who earns a decent living from her work.

So here is my advice on how to do what you love.

Make sure you actually know what you love to do. Most people aren’t as self-aware as they perceive themselves to be. Do you really have a passion for something in life or are you just fetishizing your leisure activities because your job really sucks?

Meet your basic obligations in life. Get your financial house in order. You can’t do what you love when your family suffers for your art.

Be ready to move quickly. When given an opportunity to do what you love, snatch it. Fast. Don’t over-intellectualize an opportunity to do what you love.

Don’t be afraid to be fail at what you love. Most of us are pretty good at our jobs because we are paid to be good at our jobs. Being successful at what you love takes time.

Realize that you might not deserve to do what you love. Are you working hard enough? Passion is not an invitation. Art is not an entitlement.

Most of us will never do what we love. Life is cruel and unfair, isn’t it? Pass the potatoes.

I am a big believer in developing hobbies as a secondary pathway to happiness. I love watching birds but there is no money in ornithology. There is money in writing white papers for HR technology companies. And there’s some money in HR blogging. So get a hobby to help you find peace, satisfaction and love in an otherwise jacked-up and unbalanced world.

And good luck doing what you love. Remember that once you start doing what you love for money, it becomes a job.